Lemony Snicket has made it to the big screen, and that's not unfortunate, says his alter ego

Regan McMahon, Chronicle Assistant Book Editor

Published 6:00 am, Tuesday, December 14, 2004

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On 12/9/04 in San Francisco Daniel Handler aka Lemony Snicket, author of the children's book series "A Series of Unfortunate Events," poses for a portrait on Market Street in San Francisco. A film of the same name starring Jim Carey starts in theatres on December 17th.
Chronicle Photo by Kat Wade Mags out/mandatory credits San Francisco Chronicle and photographer/
Photo: Kat Wade

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On 12/9/04 in San Francisco Daniel Handler aka...

(NYT21) UNDATED -- DEC. 1, 2004 -- ADVANCE FOR SUNDAY, DEC. 5, 2004 -- CHILDREN-VIOLENCE -- From left, Jim Carrey as Count Olaf, Liam Aiken as Klaus and Emily Browning, right as Violet, holding Sunny in the forthcoming "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events." In his famed study of fairy tales, Bruno Bettelhem pointed out the dangers of exposing children "only to the sunny side of things." When the movie opens on Dec. 17, parents will have an opportunity to decide whether they buy his argument. (Francois Duhamel/Paramount Pictures via The New York Times) **ONLY FOR USE WITH STORY BY SEAN ELDER SLUGGED CHILDREN-VIOLENCE. ALL OTHER USE PROHIBITED. XNYZ,**ONLY FOR USE WITH STORY BY SEAN ELDER SLUGGED CHILDREN-VIOLENCE. ALL OTHER USE PROHIBITED.
Photo: FRANCOIS DUHAMEL/PARAMOUNT PICTU

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On 12/9/04 the San Francisco (L TO R) Daniel Handler aka Lemony Snicket, author of the children's book series "A Series of Unfortunate Events," signs copies of his latest book at Books Inc. on Market Street while joking with book seller Huntly Gordon. A film of the same name starring Jim Carey starts in theatres on December 17th.
Chronicle Photo by Kat Wade Mags out/mandatory credits San Francisco Chronicle and photographer/
Photo: Kat Wade

When millions of people have read your books, they're going to notice any changes when the books get made into a movie. San Francisco novelist Daniel Handler, writing as Lemony Snicket, has sold more than 27 million books worldwide in 11 volumes of his planned 13-part series chronicling the desperate adventures of the three Baudelaire orphans and their nemesis, the evil Count Olaf.

The first three volumes form the basis of the movie starring comic whirlwind Jim Carrey, "Lemony Snicket's a Series of Unfortunate Events," which opens in theaters Friday. That's a lot of eyes on the lookout for tampering.

The good news is that the captivating movie retains the spirit and language of the books, and the production designer took his cue from series illustrator Brett Helquist to create the weirdly timeless look of the film.

And the plot points are intact, except for relocation of one dramatic moment, which works well in its new spot, and the insertion of a new one by the screenwriter Robert Gordon ("Galaxy Quest," "Men in Black II"), which is fitting and nail-bitingly exciting. The only peeve is provoked by handing over rescue duties from the ingenious inventor, 14-year-old Violet (wonderfully played by Australian actress Emily Browning), to her bookish brother, 12-year- old Klaus ("Road to Perdition" star Liam Aiken), in two scenes. It seems like a real Hollywood decision to say, "Oh, we have to let the boy be the hero."

"Well, it was certainly a decision made in Hollywood, not made in San Francisco," Handler, 34, said with a chuckle last week over tea and madeleines at Cafe Flore on Market Street. "The books are very bookish, and they wanted the film to be very filmish. Klaus was a big stumbling block on that path because he's such a reader. I think they were afraid that Klaus would have nothing to do."

The character of the infant sister Sunny (played by twins Kara and Shelby Hoffman), is slightly altered as well. "In the books she's sort of the heavy," Handler said. "She's the muscle. And in the movie she's more like the comic relief. I think that's probably because you can imagine a baby being tough, but on the screen she looks like a baby," he said, adding his staccato giggle. "So I don't think she could be the sort of Mr. T of the 'A-Team' that she is in the books. Whenever you see her do anything in the film, it's funny."

Carrey's portrayal of Count Olaf is also "more outright funny" than in the books, Handler said, but he is pleased with the versatile interpretation. "He was a good choice. I was hard pressed to think of a living actor. Whenever they would ask me I'd say, 'James Mason.' And they'd say, 'James Mason is dead. ' And I'd say, 'That's a very good point.' Jim Carrey not only isn't dead, but on the scale of the movie that they were working on, it was clear it was going to be a movie star who was going to be Count Olaf, and out of that short list he's really the only one who can be hilarious and scary at the same time. Even in his lightest comedies he's sort of a scary guy; he's unhinged. He appears to be unhinged in real life as well. I mean, he uses his own natural unhingedness to play unhinged characters."

Handler is diplomatic and humble when talking about the filmmakers' decisions. As the initial screenwriter, he had turned in eight drafts, when suddenly director Barry Sonnenfeld (both "Men in Black" films) was fired (although he stayed on as an executive producer), the producer quit and the production looked as doomed as the Baudelaires stuck on the railroad track.

When a new director, Brad Silberling ("Casper"), and screenwriter Gordon were chosen ("I didn't think I had another eight drafts in me, and they didn't either"), Handler was open to their creative choices. "When you're selling your book to the movies, you're giving over the reins," he said. "I'm just so amazed that it actually exists." He said the choice of Jude Law to portray narrator Lemony Snicket was particularly thrilling to his wife, who "has a big crush on Mr. Law."

He said when Law was recording the narration, "I bullied the director into getting him to record a message of love for my wife, which she turned into an MP3 and has given to all her friends."

Handler said he hasn't done any real work, meaning writing, in two months, while he's been busy doing promotion for the film, and he's eager to get back to his desk at his home in Ashbury Heights and his 1-year old, Otto. Becoming a parent hasn't caused him to lose his edge, by the way. He said that, in fact, it's just made his list of terrible things that can happen to the Baudelaire orphans longer.

His alter ego's increased celebrity through commercial tie-in deals he wasn't privy to has caught Handler off-guard. "A friend of mine called me from the grocery store a couple of weeks ago and said, 'I am buying mayonnaise with your name on it,' " he recalled. "She was teasing me and saying, 'I was thinking about the Faulkner mayonnaise, and I was thinking about the Hemingway mayonnaise, and I finally decided on the Snicket mayonnaise.'

"But for a movie that costs as much as this one did ($125 million), that sort of thing is inevitable. So I don't have some abject horror of it. I just never thought my name would be on a jar of mayonnaise. It's not something that occurs to you when you set out to be a novelist."

What's next -- action figures?

"I think there are some toys at a fast-food chain, but they're not proper action figures. I think in the case of the Snicket books, they would have to be inaction figures, because there's so much time spent figuring out what to do next," he added. "They could be in permanent contemplative poses for all to enjoy."

Lemony Snickets A Series of Unfortunate Events opens in theaters Dec. 17. A benefit premiere for 826 Valencia is 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Metro Theatre, 2055 Union St., San Francisco. Tickets are $50 for adults, $35 for 18 and younger; refreshments included. Tickets available at Pirate Store, 826 Valencia St., San Francisco, via the Internet at www.826valencia.org, or call (415) 642-5778 x202.